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Robin Rises: Will Damian Wayne Return?

Batman is fighting to get his son back, but do we believe the Robin will return or another character will become the Dark Knight's sidekick? Come see what we think about it and then share your own thoughts!

Back in 2006, Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert brought Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul's child, Damian Wayne, into the spotlight. Readers quickly fell in love with the arrogant kid as we watched him become Robin and have priceless experiences with other characters ("Don't patronize me or I'll break your face."). From his dynamic with Dick Grayson to his crude and hysterical conversations with Stephanie Brown, his rude yet still lovable personality made it a real joy to watch his adventures unfold in the DC universe. Last year, however, Morrison shattered our hearts and had the child brutally murdered.

Show of hands: who else got watery-eyed when they reached this page?

Since then, Peter J. Tomasi has shown us how the Caped Crusader is handling the loss of his son. He's gone through the five stages of grief and seemingly come to accept the painful tragedy that has happened. But Ra's al Ghul's actions and an appearance by Glorious Godfrey has brought the death of his offspring back into his world.

A magic crystal called the Chaos Shard apparently has the ability to bring the dead back to life (but at what cost has yet to be revealed) and now the forces from Apokolips have taken Damian's sarcophagus. Batman's determined to get his son back, and if he can indeed bring him back to life, will he be the Damian Wayne we once knew? A teaser released by DC showed a resurrected and still decayed version of the former Robin and included the line "He's back... mostly." So, do we think Damian Wayne will or even should return? Let's talk about it, shall we?

First and foremost, many of us want to see Damian return for one very simple reason: we adore the character. While some find his personalty off-putting -- and understandably so -- many of us have fallen in love with the little brat and seeing him viciously murdered was a heart-wrenching experience. To watch him return would be absolutely thrilling. Tomasi has done a tremendous job handling the character (Born to Kill is a superb story) and it would be great to see the writer continue his work with Damian. If he's brought back, this would be a huge and joyous victory for the Dark Knight, too. There's so much darkness in his world and the stories are often foreboding, so to see him earn such a massive win would be a captivating thing to witness. This could, of course, also strengthen the bond between the two and, after seeing Batman go through such a rough and emotional time, it would be a very welcome change of pace to observe a more uplifting tone return to the pages of BATMAN AND ROBIN.

In addition to the young hero having many fans, DC seemingly wants us to believe that Damian will indeed be the one to return when the dust has settled. They've blatantly said multiple times "a" Robin will be brought back, the magic crystal is stated to have the ability to resurrect Damian, and the previously mentioned teaser strongly hints that Damian will be brought back to the land of the living... at least in some capacity. DC is aware this character has become a fan favorite and Bruce's son is even getting a bigger push in the animated movies. Son of Batman was recently released and we'll see the release of Batman vs. Robin next year. Now, that obviously doesn't guarantee anything, but it's worth noting that DC is giving the character more of the spotlight over in its new animated movieverse.

All signs are pointing to Damian's return, but are they trying to mislead us? Yes, Damian being brought back to life would an obvious yet still hugely celebrated moment, but could this entire story exist just to give Batman proper closure and allow someone else to put on the Robin costume? If Damian is resurrected in a terrible fashion, this could make Batman realize that, even though he lives in a universe with absolutely absurd events, his son has been killed and there's simply no going back. Perhaps this brief return of a decayed Damian could give the two a chance to say a proper goodbye and finally make Batman realize it's okay for someone else to become Robin. And who could that someone else be, you ask? Well, Stephanie Brown is currently in BATMAN: ETERNAL and she seems like the top choice. It was stated at this year's San Diego Comic-Con that the publisher has "big plans" for her that will spill out of that title and she'll get a mentor. She was a Robin beforeThe New 52, so that's what they could mean about "bringing back" a Robin.

Other candidates could include Tim Drake and Carrie Kelley. Yes, Tim is doing his own thing as Red Robin, but to see him fight alongside Batman once again and slip into an updated version of the classic costume is something quite a few of us would embrace. Seeing as Carrie Kelley had such a close bond with Damian and she became Robin in the absurdly popular THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, it could be possible that Batman will eventually open up to her and train her. It's pure speculation, of course, but it seems a little odd to have her appear for such a brief period of time and then essentially fade away. We could add Harper Row's name to the list, but seeing as she becomes Bluebird, that doesn't seem too likely. Still, there's obviously ways they could work around that. Based on these options and statements from DC's Batman panel at SDCC, Brown definitely seems like the most probable candidate if Damian isn't the one to return. Fans have certainly been demanding to see the character appear in The New 52 and have been more than vocal about wanting her to have a big role, after all. Seeing as this question is often asked during panels, it's tough to believe the common request to see much more of the character has gone unnoticed.

As of right now, a strong case can be made for either outcome. The publisher knows fans love Damian and we'd more than embrace his return. However, they seem to be making it a little too obvious, so it's totally logical they could be preparing a final goodbye to Damian as they turn another character -- possibly Stephanie Brown -- into the new Robin. Only time shall tell and no matter what the outcome may be, we're lucky enough to have so many great Damian Wayne stories available to reread and this latest one is off to a gripping start. So, what do you make of all this? Do you think we'll see the return of Damian or do you believe DC has something else in store for us? Speak your mind below!

I hope they don't bring him back. If they bring him back in 20yrs it would have more impact than a six month death imo. The way Jason Todd came back was brilliant. Plus Batman needs to be alone for a while no new Robins should come IMO.

they should bring him back killing off damion was stupid,and DC shouldn't have let grant morrison do that. also seeing batman like this is depressing. tim drake has grown out of batman shadow and is his own character now. I know that characters should stay dead, but that just doesn't happen. also he was a really cool character, and could develop in many different ways. so since peter tomasi confirmed that batman's going to get a robin it should be damion. lastly why would they spend the first 6 pages recapping damon's run as robin if they weren't gonna bring him back.

There is so much Damian Wayne merch being made now as well as his presence not really being dropped I could see Damian returning in some form. Since this is comics and they like being misleading there could be a catch like a memory wiped Damian so that he is not his normal self. He could also be brought back and resemble The Heretic which is a clone of Damian.

I'm fine with Stephanie or even Carrie becoming Robin, especially since most of Batman's crew seem to transitioning to female, but I still want Damian back in some role. And as a hero, not a villain. Bruce deserves some measure of happiness.

We all know he is coming back, DC has banked too much off of Damian with the animated movie and stuff like that. He will return, but I think he will grow out of being Robin and transition into being something new. A cool idea would be bringing him back to lead the Teen Titans or like someone else already said to have him on a new Young Justice team.

They should end Omega with Damian coming back to life without Bruce's knowledge and being stuck on Apokalypse. Bruce is forced to move on and accept that his son won't come back, not knowing that he's actually alive.

Then Bruce can take on a new Robin (Stephanie, perhaps) for a few months until Damian's dramatic return. Then Steph can move back to the Spoiler role, now affiliated with the Bat-Family, and Damian can resume as Robin.

I miss Damian a lot, so I do hope he returns. He had such a great dynamic with every other family member. That's just something you cannot throw away.

I really want to see Damian back. Bruce deserves a break and I look forward to that reunion. They can do some really interesting things with Damian being back such as how he will handle Grayson being "dead." Damian was by far closer to Grayson than anyone else in Bat-Family, maybe even closer to Grayson than being closer to Bruce. Although there is still the curve ball of the Bat-Family Thanksgiving Teaser and the blonde headed person sitting near Bruce, Harper, Tim, and Steph. That could possibly be a hint as Grayson being the Robin that comes back. . . only time will tell.

Yeah the PR and attention makes this fairly and hopefully obvious that Damian will be back from the dead thanks to The Chaos Shard. There's a no win situation to all this. If DC do bring Damian back, there'll be complaints that death isn't permanent or meaningful in comics anymore and that's been the case for ages. On the other hand, if Damian isn't brought back, the Damian fans won't really approve of DC dangling his resurrection like a carrot to a donkey only to yank it away again. May as well bring Damian back and develop his character arc even more.

Nice article, very solid reasoning....I too think it will more likely be Stephanie than Damian...although I would prefer Damian.

I think having Damian die and go through all of that could be a very strong story and character development, I mean dieing and being brought back to life as a kid? It just adds even more tragedy to his already tragic childhood.

Bringing him back in 20 years will make it too similar to Jason's story IMO, unless he get's brought back as a 10 year old in 20 years, which is maybe 5 - 10 years in comic book time.

I really hope it's not Carrie Kellie. Nothing really against her, but she was never really a full Robin, and I don't see any reason to make her a Robin in this timeline. I hate to say it but Harper would be a better choice. Acknowledging Carrie was enough, and it should be left at that.

Please...please please PLEASE bring him back! Damians one of my favorite characters in comics and I really miss the little bastard. I'll be seriously pissed if they dont bring him back and we get a new Robin instead.

I would very much prefer it if Damian would stay dead. I never cared much for the character, and liked him even less as Robin. I don't particularly want Stephanie Brown to be Robin either. I'm a big fan of hers and would like to see her continue on as the Spoiler for a while. As for who should be Robin... none of the other options mentioned interest me except for perhaps Tim Drake. I always liked Tim as Robin and don't really like the name "Red Robin", so seeing him rejoin Bruce in an updated version of his previous role as one half of the Dynamic Duo could be interesting. Plus, it would allow Tim to finally find his way back into the Bat family books, which he has been sadly absent from since the beginning of the New 52.

- Tim Drake. He's Red Robin, he's his own man now, is the leader of the Titans. Going back to being Batman's boy wonder is a step back for the character. And judging by his recent portrayals, he doesn't seem to be interested in being a sidekick again.

- Harper Row. She's going to be Bluebird, and she's too rebel to be a full fledged sidekick anyway. Also, didn't Snyder confirm that she won't be Robin?

- Stephanie Brown. At least in the Robin Rises story-line she won't be. Her only appearance in the New 52 is in Snyder's series, and whoever will be the new Robin is going to be revealed in Tomasi's series, and the writers are trying to make each Bat Book separate from the other. In BE, she hasn't even fully become Spoiler yet, so I doubt she's going to be Robin. Could be somewhere down the line,make her tenure as Robin last more than the Pre-Flashpoint era, which was barely a cup of tea, but definitely not in this story-line.

- Carrie Kelly. Her only ties to Bruce is the fact that she was Damian's teacher. Otherwise she has no ties to Batman and doesn't have any motive for being Robin. She seems to be a normal teenager living a normal life. I am interested in seeing more of her though.

So there are two choices. It'll either be Damian, which is too obvious so there'll probably be a twist maybe he loses his memories or something, or it'll be a new character introduced on Apokolips, which I really hope isn't the case.

I honestly feel like they are going to bring back Damian, but with the twist of making him want to side with Jason Todd. Bruce would then have to find a way to bring his son back to the side of justice, while also reconciling with Jason.

I want Damian to come back and continue as Robin. I still feel there shouldn't be a new Robin after Bruce's actual son. Given time I could accept someone like Stephanie, Harper or Cullen becoming Robin since Batman would know them personally, but Damian is the sole person who should be Robin again.